DISCLAIMER: I do not own any rights of Harry Potter. This story is based on my own ideas and may be different than the real story. I just write these for fun :) I also apologise in advance for any typos or grammatical errors.
Since the only revealed names of the Greengrass family are Daphne and Astoria, I came up with names for their parents myself: Amelia and Atticus Greengrass. I hope you like this chapter.
P.S. I am sorry if the layout might look a bit odd, copying and pasting from Word documents does not always go the way I want it ;)
Draco Malfoy apparated back home, to Malfoy Manor, right into the drawing room where his mother Narcissa was sitting on the sofa.
"Draco!" She said startled, jumping up from the sofa. Draco looked around him, slightly confused.
"I-I'm sorry mother, didn't mean to scare you.." He murmured.
"Have you been drinking?" She asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.
He shrugged in response "Maybe.. A little.."
Narcissa sighed. "Darling.."
Draco shot her an annoyed look "Don't even." he said, making his way into the hall, running up the stairs.
When he got to his room he threw the bags he still was carrying in a corner, along with his cloak and scarf. He sat down on his bed, kicking off his shoes aggressively. He sighed and placed his head in his hands. What was going on with him? Why did these three people effect him so much? How could he ever be jealous of 'the chosen one' a Weasley and a mudblood? Huh? What's has gotten into him? He could not deny it though, he felt lonely. There, he admitted it, he felt lonely. There was no one out there anymore who was friendly, wanted to meet up with him, go to quidditch matches, go for a drink, let alone there will be someone left of this earth who would ever love him and marry him. He took a deep shaky breath.
"For Merlin's sake.. Put yourself together..." He mumbled to himself.
There was a knock on the door and his mother walked in.
"Are you okay?" She asked carefully.
He didn't reply. Narcissa walked over to her son and sat down beside him, on the bed.
"I know you're going through a rough time darling.. That's why it is important we stay strong, together.."
Draco still didn't reply. He just looked down at his hands. After some moments Narcissa started talking again.
"Astoria is coming over tomorrow.."
"What?" He looked up.
"She, her parents and her sister, we invited them for brunch.."
"I-I won't be there.." He said.
"Why not?" She asked.
"Oh don't you understand mother?!" He suddenly lost his temper and stood up. "I'm sorry.." He said, his voice breaking, and before he knew tears were streaming down his face.
"Oh Draco darling, come here." She said and pulled him down next to her on the bed again. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and kissed his head. "It's going to be okay.. I promise.." She whispered.
"Everything just sucks.. This stupid house.. I hate it.." He said between sobs.
"Why do you hate it my love?"
"It just.. It just constantly reminds me of what happened here, with You Know Who and father and everyone else.."
Visions of those days were coming back to his mind, Voldemort and all the other Death Eaters sitting at their dining table, his teacher being eaten by a giant snake, his aunt torturing Hermione..
That night he didn't sleep well. He was having nightmares again, and they were only getting worse and worse.
He walked into the dining room, to find his parents sitting at the long table.
"Well, well..." his father said disapprovingly.
"Darling we are sorry..." his mom said.
"W-what are you talking about?" Draco asked confused.
"You can't stay here any longer." Lucius said. Draco looked confused, not sure what to say. "You have let the Dark Lord down, you are a disgrace to this family Draco."
"But father-" Draco stammered.
"I am not your father anymore." Lucius said as he stood up and pointed his wand at Draco. Narcissa looked at her husband with nothing else than fear in her eyes.
"Crucio!" Lucius yelled.
But Draco did not feel any pain, at that moment the room around him started to change. He suddenly was in a dark room, he could barely see anything but it felt damp and smelled like something rotten. He heard something was approaching him, something rather large was slithering towards him. He then heard a hissing sound. He quickly reached in his pocket and desperately searched for his wand but he couldn't find it. He started to panic.
"Nagini.. Don't eat our guest.. yet.." a familiar hissing voice said.
Draco's breathing became quicker, his heart started to pound faster and sweat was dripping from the back of his neck. Suddenly there was a flash of light from the back of the room, Voldemort had illuminated his wand and he was approaching Draco.
"Well, well, look who we have there," he said in a cold voice. "The boy who couldn't even bare to kill Albus Dumbledore."
"My Lord, I-I am sorry..." Draco stammered, his voice shaking with fear.
"Oh you are sorry? Then it is all good isn't it?" Voldemort answered and let out a cold, sarcastic laugh. "But that doesn't change the fact Nagini is hungry.."
"No, please, my Lord, I am begging you!" Draco said, dropping down onto his knees, his whole body was shaking with fear now.
"It is too late now, boy. Nagini, dinner..."
"No, please, NO!"
He woke up with sweat dripping down his body. He was breathing heavily and his heart was pounding out of his chest. It took a while before he realised where he was, he rubbed his hand over his face and murmured to himself "It was a dream.. it was just a dream..." as he was still panting. He got out of bed, put on his silk emerald bathrobe and walked into his bathroom. He splashed some water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror. "Well you have known better days." He said to his reflection. He was looking pale, paler than ever, his grey eyes weren't sparkling and bright but dull and he had dark circles under his eyes. He took a deep breath and went downstairs. As he walked into the dining room he saw his mother sitting at the long dining table. For a second a flash of his nightmare came back and it made his stomach turn.
"Good morning darling." Narcissa said and smiled.
"Are you alright?" she asked when she looked at her son a little better.
"Yes.. yes fine." Draco simply answered as he sat down at the table as well.
"Are you sure? You look very pale." Narcissa said concerned.
"Nothing to worry about, mother." He said as a house elf brought him his breakfast.
"If you say so.. As much as I love that bathrobe, will you please change into your clothes soon after breakfast?" Narcissa asked.
Draco looked up from his breakfast a bit confused. "Yes sure, why exactly?"
"The Greengrasses are coming over, remember I told you about it yesterday?"
Damn it, he totally forgot about that. "And I told you I was not joining you." He replied coldly.
"I am afraid you have to; we need to discuss the wedding."
"Wedding? Did I miss anything? Who is getting married?" he said slightly sarcastic, slightly angry.
Narcissa sighed. "I am not having this discussion with you again."
"Good." He simply answered.
He finished his breakfast, stood up and walked out.
After a loosing a fight with his dad (he still wasn't capable of standing up to him) about him not wanted to see the Greengrasses he eventually got dressed in a black turtleneck jumper and black trousers, made sure he looked a bit more 'alive' and went downstairs with a heavy heart. Making his way into the drawing room, he found his parents sitting on the emerald silk jacquard sofa.
"Well at least you look a bit more descent now." Lucius said as he looked at his son.
Draco did not reply and sat down in a Victorian armchair. After some minutes they heard the doorbell ring and a house elf brought the Greengrass family into the drawing room.
Narcissa and Lucius quickly stood up, but Draco did not make much effort.
"Amelia, Atticus, how lovely to see you." Narcissa said as she welcomed the Greengrasses.
Lucius gave Draco a strict look that meant he had to stand up. With a deep sigh Draco stood up and also shook hands with the Greengrasses, feeling a rather awkward tension between him and Astoria.
"Please take a seat," Lucius said. "Perhaps you would like to sit next to my son?" he added as he looked at Astoria.
She smiled politely in response and sat down next to Draco in another armchair. She was wearing a floor-length navy blue silk dress and her brown wavy hair was draped over one side of her shoulder. It was clear that it was not her own choice either to marry this wizard.
As her parents and sister were settled another house elf came in to bring tea and delicious looking cakes and pastries.
"So uhm, how have you been doing?" Astoria asked Draco, trying to break the ice awkwardly. It was not like they had never seen each other before, Draco was quite familiar with the Greengrass family. Daphne Greengrass, Astoria's older sister attended Hogwarts in the same year as Draco, and since they were part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, the Malfoy and Greengrass family always have been close and their children used to play together when they were younger.
"I'm fine." He answered coldly.
She nodded. "I am glad..."
Both of their parents could see that Astoria and Draco were not having a very deep and cheerful conversation so Narcissa suggested they could go for a walk in the gardens, she thought if they would have some time alone they might get a bit more 'intimate'.
As they were walking in the garden, Astoria and Draco were obviously left alone.
"I am sorry." Draco said to Astoria after their parents were out of sight.
"About what?" Astoria asked and frowned.
"About all this, my parents setting all this up, the marriage. Or were you going to tell me you want to marry me?" Draco said.
"It is not your fault; my parents are exactly the same. I mean, Daphne has to marry Nott. It has all been set up before we even were born. It is our destiny." She replied.
"So it is time we do something about this. Don't get me wrong, you are a very nice girl and you don't look bad either, but I don't want to marry you." Draco said.
"Not bad?" she chuckled. "I understand you though.. I mean, it is not my own choice to marry you either.."
"So why don't we tell our parents and just find someone we love, that we truly love?" Draco asked.
"And end the bloodline? Not only my bloodline is about to end since it is only me and my sister but you will also end the Malfoy bloodline." Astoria said.
"Like you care?" he replied and raised his eyebrows.
"It is not about what I want or what you want. Our lives were already set out for us before we even were born, just like our parents, grandparents, etcetera."
"Are you even listening to me?" Draco said, starting to loose his temper. "I said it is time that we stop listening to our parents and all these old fashioned ways. We will never be happy, is that what you want? And we will have to get a son, Merlin knows how many children we will end up with. I am sorry but I am not the fatherly type."
"I completely agree with you Draco, I do. But if I don't do what they say they'll kick me out, they will disinherit me, there will be nothing left of me, no one would ever want to talk to me again or be able to find a job."
"Welcome to my life." Draco said. Sadness and hate in his voice.
Astoria just looked at him for a moment, not saying anything. It was just now that she realised that the Malfoy she had known was no longer there. Normally she saw a cunning, proud and arrogant boy, now all she saw was a young man that was all but proud. She could see his pain, his anger and, something she did not even know Draco Malfoy was capable of: insecurity.
"I am sorry..." she said quietly after a while.
He shook his head. "Don't be."
"We might not be lovers but please, don't forget we can always be friends. I am your friend Draco. If there is anything I can do.."
"Thanks, that means a lot. It really does." He said and a soft smile appeared on his face.
She smiled back at him as she carefully pulled Draco into an embrace.
He held her firmly, he could not even remember the last time someone embraced him, apart from his mother. He needed this, even though he did not want to admit it.
After a moment they let go off of each other and looked at each other, slightly awkward as well.
"Well enough of this cheesy stuff, let's go for that walk then." Draco said and started walking.
I hope you all liked this chapter, I am sorry you all had to wait so long for this. Feel free to leave comments. If you only have negative things to say, please do not bother. Also a huge thank you to my friends who always helped me out when I struggle with writing :)